Did the Colts Kill their Mojo?
Monday, December 28, 2009 at 9:10PM
Cold. The body language says it all.Going into yesterday's game against the New York Jets (7-7), the Indianapolis Colts were only two victories from a perfect regular season, something that only two other teams in NFL history have accomplished.
With a sterling 14-0 record, they were assured of a bye week and home field advantage throughout the playoffs. There was only one thing left to play for in the regular season -- perfection. And they punted. Not the players but the coaches. Specifically coach Jim Caldwell and Colts president Bill Polian. In their eyes, perfection wasn't in their pre-season plans so they played it safe. After all, why risk an injury THREE weeks before their next meaningful game?
The Colts players... surely they agreed with Polian's decision, right? Riiiight.
In the 3rd quarter, with the Colts clinging to a 5 point lead, coach Caldwell pulled his starters from the game. It didn't take long for the Jets to exploit the Colts second string players and they quickly took the lead. The Colts players, including their star players (Manning, Wayne, Clark, Freeney, Mathis, etc.) stood on the sideline with their hands on their hips or their arms crossed, wondering what the hell was happening to their perfect season.
After the game Peyton Manning addressed the media and said all the right things. He supported the coach's decision, etc., etc. His body language said another thing entirely... "what the fuck was that?"
The Colts are a professional bunch. Perhaps they move on from this and win the Super Bowl. It's possible given their talent and home field advantage. But more than likely, the decision to play it safe will go down as one of the worst decisions in recent NFL history. If they fail to win the Super Bowl this season, people will look back to this game and say, that's where the Colts lost their mojo.
Jeff |
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